FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Opening Fire on Four MTA Inspectors at Brooklyn Bus Stop
Fired 10 Rounds After Being Asked to Pay a $2.75 Fare, Striking One Inspector
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced today that a Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison following his guilty plea to four counts of second-degree attempted murder for opening fire on four MTA fare enforcement inspectors at a Brooklyn bus stop after they asked him to pay his fare.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “These inspectors showed up to work and asked a man to pay $2.75. He responded by pulling out a gun and firing 10 rounds, striking one inspector and narrowly missing three others. Today’s sentence makes clear that violence against transit workers will not be tolerated in Brooklyn. We will continue to protect the people who keep this city moving, and those who terrorize our communities with this type of brazen violence will be held accountable.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Samuel White, 52, of Starrett City, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Adam Perlmutter to 15 years in prison. The defendant pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree attempted murder on March 23, 2026.
The District Attorney said that, according to the evidence, on April 18, 2023, at approximately 6:15 a.m., at Flatlands Avenue and Louisiana Avenue in Starrett City, Brooklyn, members of the MTA’s Eagle Team boarded the B82 Select Bus Service bus where the defendant was a passenger. The defendant did not pay his fare, and the inspectors asked him to exit the bus and do so at an MTA kiosk, advising him that the next bus would arrive within minutes. The bus departed without him.
White became irate, telling the inspectors they were ruining his life and making him late for work. He then walked behind a tree, retrieved a loaded .45-caliber pistol from his backpack, and opened fire at the four inspectors. One inspector was grazed by a bullet in the right calf while attempting to take cover behind the kiosk and was transported to Kings County Hospital, where he was treated and released. The other inspectors took cover, including behind trees; one bullet grazed one of those trees and a second bullet was lodged in another. Nine shell casings and two bullets were recovered at the scene.
White was arrested the following day. After being shown surveillance video from the bus, he identified himself and admitted to the shooting, as well as illegally purchasing the firearm used in the attack.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Miguel Rodriguez, Deputy Chief of the District Attorney’s Grey Zone Trial Bureau (formerly of the Red Zone), and Senior Assistant District Attorney Audrey Chao, of the District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Unit/Special Victims Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Karla Watson, Chief of the Red Zone Trial Bureau.
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